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How do I call home?

 
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atomicneon



Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 3:56 am    Post subject: How do I call home? Reply with quote

How do I call home? Do I have to get a new cell phone? What's the internet like?
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MrMrLuckyKhan



Joined: 08 Feb 2008
Posts: 282
Location: Kingdom of Cambodia

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 4:17 am    Post subject: Re: How do I call home? Reply with quote

atomicneon wrote:
How do I call home? Do I have to get a new cell phone? What's the internet like?


What is this??? I would suggest giving a lil more info if you expect an answer to whatever those questions mean... good luck! Wink
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 5:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Telephones where you can use your credit card to call are often found at railway stations and airports. Is this what you mean?
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atomicneon



Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 5:56 am    Post subject: cell phone signal Reply with quote

Will I be able to use my verizon cell phone. Will there be cell phone
signals in China? Will I be able to send e-mail back to my family in the US?
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BenE



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 321

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is this a joke?

If not I strongly recommend you take some time before you consider leaving the USA. Maybe take a holiday to South America or China with a reputable tour agency.

Telephones still work in China and they even have mobile phone signal in most areas.

I don't live there but I think I can guess that they do.
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denise



Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! I winced when I read the OP's question, imagining the flames that would surely follow... I'd say you got off lucky, atomicneon! Laughing

If you have a phone from the US, no, it will not work in China--I think that with phones from many other countries you simply get a new SIM card, but American phones don't work that way. (I'm not an expert here, so if I'm wrong, somebody please correct me.) You will likely need a new phone, and then you look around and find a good deal on international calls--calling cards, etc. Or use skype, or simply go to an internet cafe and use a webcam and chat online. And, until you get these technological issues sorted out, be prepared not to connect with family & friends as often as you're used to. It just goes with the job & lifestyle, unfortunately.

d
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Justin Trullinger



Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry you got slightly flamed- I think what did it was that you posted in a general forum without specifying a country. And the answers vary so much from place to place.

I've been in Ecuador for years- internet here is slow and crappy, but I've got good cell phone coverage, a land line in my apartment, and sometimes, when velocity will handle it, use skype.

I was in Korea last fall, and the internet, simply put, was the fastest, most efficient, over the top easy to connect to that I have EVER seen.

CHina, I don't know. But there will be a way. Mostly, you're better off getting a cell phone in your destination country. Even if your US phone happens to roam in a given place, it would be far too expensive for regular use. Buy one when you get there.

Best,
Justin
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MrMrLuckyKhan



Joined: 08 Feb 2008
Posts: 282
Location: Kingdom of Cambodia

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 3:55 pm    Post subject: Re: cell phone signal Reply with quote

atomicneon wrote:
Will I be able to use my verizon cell phone. Will there be cell phone
signals in China? Will I be able to send e-mail back to my family in the US?


Verizon? No, that will not work there.


What you need is an unlocked (meaning AT&T, T-Mobile, or any other carrier hasn't locked it to prevent you from using it with other carriers), GSM (thats the technology type. Verizon uses CDMA and locks their phones, so its pretty much worthless outside of the usa), QUAD-BAND (meaning it works on 4 different frequences, 800, 900, 1800, and 1900 Mhz, i think i have those right. some countries/companies use different frequences.) phone. If you have one like Ive just described you can buy a simcard from any company (that uses GSM technology, which almost all of them in Asia, that I know of. Some do use CDMA, but just not as popular.) and just put it in your phone and thats it. Also, it makes it easy to have different phone numbers with different companies at the same time. In Indonesia I used one simcard as my main/local number because it was cheap for local calls. But, if I wanted to 'call home' I would pop in another simcard that would allow me to call the USA for about 5 cents per minute.


Also, I have had very good luck in many different countries finding a sales rep that spoke fair english. If you find someone that you can communicate with, inform them what country you want to call. They might have a certain carrier, or a certain 'code' you type before you dial, and it will be cheaper than the normal rates.

good luck!!
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MrMrLuckyKhan



Joined: 08 Feb 2008
Posts: 282
Location: Kingdom of Cambodia

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 4:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

denise wrote:
Wow! I winced when I read the OP's question, imagining the flames that would surely follow... I'd say you got off lucky, atomicneon! Laughing


d


haha, yes, he did got off lucky! Thankfully, most people on this board are friendlier than most others. Try posting that on khmer440 and they might hunt u down and rough you up, lol, jk!


P.S. If you want to find a good deal on cheap phones that work everywhere, do an ebay search for "unlocked gsm quad-band" and that should pull up enough to keep you occupied for 3 days....
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atomicneon



Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:32 pm    Post subject: satellite Reply with quote

Do you get satellite radio (Howard Stern) in China?
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hopefully NOT!

Ok, now even I strongly suspect a troll Twisted Evil
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Mexicobound



Joined: 09 Apr 2009
Posts: 120
Location: In Texas but ready to roam again

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Hopefully NOT!


Priceless.
Great response.
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Justin Trullinger



Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can get Howard Stern on the internet, wherever you want.

(If you want to.)

Hopefully.
Justin
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MrMrLuckyKhan



Joined: 08 Feb 2008
Posts: 282
Location: Kingdom of Cambodia

PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 11:48 pm    Post subject: Re: satellite Reply with quote

atomicneon wrote:
Do you get satellite radio in China?


nope.
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